Houston Astros: Proposed playoff format for 2020 season will be beneficial

In light of the MLB season being delayed while the world battles the wrath of COVID-19, the Houston Astros may be involved in a new playoff format. What?

Houston Astros fans — yesterday, we would’ve been amped up for the start of the MLB season while the team takes on the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. The excitement would’ve been in the air, accompanied by the smell of fresh popcorn and Cracker Jack’s with a cold beer to boot.

But that’s not so, at least for now. The world — let alone the United States — is battling a serious pandemic that has put what many of us hold sacred — baseball — on pause. It won’t stop us from reminiscing but I’m positive we all long for some live action.

Nonetheless, the most important thing is that we continue to flatten the curve and try to get all of the ill with this malady back on track and try not to lose another life to this virus. It’s heartbreaking to see this on television as these stories play out and just want nothing but the best for not only our country but the world as well.

We are resilient, we are brilliant and there’s definitely going to be a vaccine for this contagious disease sooner than later.

Until then, we must continue to do our part to prevent community spread by following the guidelines that have been set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as our state and local governments. We’re saving lives which is paramount to what social distancing is all about.

However, let’s not focus on the doom and gloom, in more positive news, MLB Insider Jon Heyman is reporting that MLB is actually considering expanding the playoffs from 10 to 14 teams and it’s likely going to start in late October if a late May start is enacted which is the best-case scenario for a likely 140-game season.

He said that the league has been considering the idea for quite some time and this could be the season to where they’ll actually work to implement it.

I would love it because there are some teams that were right on the cusp of making the big show but couldn’t because of the current format, which was recently modified back in the 2012 season.

It would be extremely exciting to see and you know that Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Lance

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McCullers Jr., Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa all will rise to the occasion if such a format would be implemented, which would be beneficial for the Houston Astros. Those guys, as well as the rest of the supporting cast, will be at the ready to ensure that happens as it’s expected this team will be in playoffs as the strongest of strong contenders for the World Series trophy.

The good thing is with this delay, guys that had ailments will be healthy by the time the team starts to play and luckily Verlander should be fully-healed from his groin surgery. He was going to not likely be on the bump for Opening Day anyway so it definitely gives him time to heal.

It’s just great to hear that MLB is not leaving anything off the table in regard to how to make this season exciting when it starts. This game hasn’t changed all that much since its discovery nearly two centuries ago but the changes that are implemented will be for the betterment of the sport.

Our Paul Conlon even proposed a brilliant idea about how the schedule should be handled as well with some tweaks with a shortened season but his model could certainly work.

Next. Astros: The ultimate schedule proposal for MLB. dark

We’ll have to see how it goes, until then, we’ll have to wait until the “all clear” is sounded.

Houston Astros‘ fans — what do you think of the proposal? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below.

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s Web site or the Web site for your state’s Department of Health.

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